Sami Vatanen Named to AHL All-Rookie Team

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The American Hockey League (AHL) announced today that Norfolk Admirals defenseman Sami Vatanen has been named to the AHL All-Rookie Team, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.

Vatanen, 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, has appeared in 59 games for Norfolk in 2012-13, scoring eight goals and 44 points with 44 penalty minutes. He leads all club defensemen in goals, assists and points, and leads all club rookies in assists and points. He also ranks second overall in scoring for Norfolk, trailing team scoring leader Patrick Maroon by only one point.

Among all AHL defensemen, Vatanen ranks first in assists, second in points and tied for first in power play assists (19). Among all AHL rookies, Vatanen is tied for second in assists, is tied for second in points and is first in power play assists. Among all AHL players, Vatanen is tied for 11th in assists and tied for first in power play assists.

The 21-year-old native of Jyväskylä, Finland, made his NHL debut on Feb. 1st with the Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota. In three games with Anaheim, Vatanen was scoreless with a plus-1 rating and 15:19 of average ice time.

Vatanen is skating in his first North American professional season after three years playing in the Finnish Elite League (SM-liiga). He was selected by Anaheim in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Vatanen was named the SM-liiga defenseman of the year and was named to the league’s postseason All-Star team in both 2010-11 and 2011-12. In 156 career games with JyP Jyväskylä in the SM-liiga, Vatanen posted 32 goals and 103 points with 144 penalty minutes.

Joining Vatanen on the AHL All-Rookie Team is Providence goaltender Niklas Svedberg, Oklahoma City defenseman Justin Schultz, Providence forward Ryan Spooner, Manchester forward Tyler Toffoli, and Houston forward Jason Zucker. Each All-Rookie Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2012-13 AHL All-Rookie Team.

The Admirals now embark on a season-ending six-game road trip beginning with contests on Friday and Saturday nights against the Worcester Sharks. The puck drops on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. All games can be heard on 102.1-FM, 1490-AM or 1021TheGame.com. You may also watch at AHLLive.com.